Jun. 17, 2014

A hand-held spray hose and a comfortable bench make a shower stable and safe, helping to prevent falls. / Gannett

Written by

John Benson

CentralOhio.com correspondent

Ready to be steady?

Nearly a third of all seniors in Ohio will suffer a fall this year. Here are a few tips (called the three Hs) that could prevent seniors from serious injury: • Home: Remove or secure throw rugs; improve lighting, especially near stairs; install grab bars in the bathroom; and rearrange the home to make frequently used items easier to reach. • Health: Ask your doctor about a falls risk assessment and talk about medicines you take and whether they increase your risk for falls. Also, have your hearing and vision checked annually. • Habits: Stay active to build muscle strength and improve balance; slow down and think through tasks; and stay hydrated and eat a well-balanced diet that includes calcium-rich foods.

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For many years, “I’ve fallen and can’t get up!” has been a punchline. But for falling seniors, it is no joking matter.

In fact, 30 percent of Ohio’s 2 million seniors fall annually. A senior falls every two minutes and sustains a fall-related injury every five minutes, resulting in two hospitalizations each hour, an emergency room visit every eight minutes and three deaths each day, according to aging.ohio.gov/steadyu.

The fact seniors fall might not be a surprise, but what some people don’t realize is that most falls can be prevented. That’s the message being sent to seniors through a state program, Steady U Ohio.

“The point of that theme is maintaining safety today with a strong focus on fall prevention,” Ratliff said. “If you can prevent injuries, you can live a stronger, healthier life in the future. What we’re trying to get people to understand, you don’t fall just because you got old.”

Overall, falls and fall-related injuries cost Ohio more than $4.2 billion each year.

“It’s not an exaggeration to call falls an epidemic among older adults in Ohio,” Ratliff said. “Our goal is to help seniors understand the house they live in may pose a lot of hazards and risks that when they were younger weren’t really risks, but as they get older, their bodies are able to less compensate for certain things.”

Those risks include staircases without handrails and bathroom-bathing areas without grab bars. Age-related issues that lead to falls include decreased muscle mass, vision and hearing decline, medical conditions and joint pain.

The Ohio Department of Aging’s Steady U program was launched last year with a goal of reaching out to many of its different partners, as well as businesses, to help create fall-free zones.

Someone who agrees and sees firsthand the issue is Ohio Area Agency on Aging District 5 Marketing Coordinator Amy Rose. District 5 serves nine counties in north central Ohio, with its headquarters in Ontario.

“Absolutely our risk of falling increases as we get older,” Rose said. “It’s certainly an issue in our area, especially when the weather gets colder out and there’s ice. What we find is seniors who are afraid of falling are less likely to go out, even to social events. The more you avoid going out and about, the weaker your muscles get, the more likely you are to fall.”

To solve this Catch-22, where seniors choose to stay inside and thus lose touch with society, Rose said her agency offers Steady U’s fall-prevention “A Matter of Balance” classes all over Richland County, including at the Madison Adult Career Center.

Currently, “A Matter of Balance” workshops are available in 63 of Ohio’s 88 counties, and Ratliff said efforts are underway to make them available statewide later this year.

“The classes help build some confidence for those who have risk of falling or have fallen in the past to keep them active, keep them strong and to prevent falls in the future,” Rose said. “It’s a scientifically proven class that emphasizes strategies to manage falls so participants will learn to view them as controllable and set goals for increasing activities.”

In Licking County, which is served by Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Community Education Program Manager Jane Acri stressed that falling is the leading cause of injury and deaths in adults 65 and older in the United States.

“It’s a huge concern and not just a concern for seniors,” Acri said. “It’s a concern for everybody, whether you’re a business or caregiver. If you’re an adult child caring for an aging parent, it should be a concern for them as well.”

She said that in Licking County, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging doesn’t have a partner to offer the “A Matter of Balance” workshops.

“If Licking County wants to address the issue of falls in older adults, we would be more than happy for them to contact us to have us do a workshop,” said Acri, — “A Matter of Balance” program held a few years ago in the area was a success.

Invariably, all involved parties agree the concern of seniors falling revolves around a greater goal for seniors.

“Sometimes the risk of falling is the final thing that gets them moved to a nursing home or assisted-living facility,” Rose said. “So if we can prevent a fall and make the home safer, than they’re more likely to live independently longer. So it’s a huge issue and a huge piece of being able to stay independent and live in your home longer.”